A strike by Boeing factory workers shows no signs of ending after its first week

AP Airlines Writer

Boeing has started rolling furloughs of nonunion employees as a week-old labor strike by 33,000 union machinists shows no signs of ending. A Boeing spokesperson said Friday that the company’s goal is to reach an agreement with members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers as quickly as possible. Federal mediators joined talks between Boeing and the union this week. Union officials reported that little progress was made during two sessions and no further talks were scheduled. The strike mostly involves workers at factories in the Puget Sound area of Washington state. It will quickly affect Boeing’s balance sheet since the company gets much of its cash when it delivers new planes.